Disney stations launching LiveWellHD network

KTRK (Channel 13) and its fellow Disney-owned-and-operated stations are preparing for the launch in late April of a new lifestyle network called LiveWellHD that will air in Houston on KTRK’s digital 13.2 channel.

Henry Florsheim, Channel 13’s president and general manager, said each of the stations in the 10-station Disney group will contribute original programming for the digital network, which will be offered in HD over the air and to cable carriers, including Comcast.

“It’s an opportunity to fill a space that up until now has not had a lot of original content,” Florsheim said. “We have program producers at stations in the group that see an opportunity, and we’re excited about it.”

Channel 13’s as-yet-untitled show will focus on trends in fashion, beauty and health. Much like KHOU’s (Channel 11) Great Day Houston, it will include paid product placement and sponsorship opportunities for advertisers.

However, Florsheim said, “The primary goal of the product is to entertain and inform. We would entertain product placement, but that is not the end. The goal is to create product that viewers want to see and find informative.”

Channel 13.2 (channel 314 on Comcast) features re-airings of Channel 13 newscasts and station-produced programs, movies on weekends, high school football games during the fall and occasional reruns of the 1998-2002 show hosted by Deborah Duncan, now host of Channel 11’s Great Day Houston .

“We will continue to create or have some locally produced programs. We will continue to run movies, and it is our intent to run high school football games. But the basis of the programming will be the LiveWell network,” Florsheim said.

In the wake of the recent controversy at KUHT (Channel 8) over the future of the political talk show Red, White & Blue, the University of Houston has announced plans for an external review of the station.

“It’s nothing revolutionary,” said John Antel, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs of the UH system and provost for its main campus. “Some of the board members had questions about what was going on at the station, and we thought it was a good time to have an outside evaluation. We do that with our academic departments every five years. It’s good to have a fresh pair of eyes look at things.”

Hesse said last month that the two would return as hosts of the show, but the two hosts said they have been unable to reach an agreement to do so. Antel said in a letter last week written to Polland and Jones, “We encourage you to continue to be a part of Red, White & Blue in a way that is very similar to its previous three seasons.”

Four DVRs, no waiting

Just as they competed for viewers in the wake of Hurricane Ike, Channels 2 and 11 have competing Ike-related DVDs on store shelves. Channel 2 a few weeks ago released Storm of the Century, and now Channel 11 has produced Overcoming Ike — Standing By You. Channel 2’s DVD is available at area H-E-B stores, and a portion of sales proceeds benefit the Houston Food Bank. Proceeds from the sale of Channel 11’s DVD, available for order on the station Web site, www.khou.com, benefit the local chapter of the American Red Cross.